During a recent interview with RingTV.com, WBC junior middleweight titleholder Saul “Canelo” Alvarez said he had directed Schaefer and De La Hoya to pursue his next bout on May 4 at the MGM Grand against either Mayweather, Miguel Cotto or Sergio Martinez.

Mayweather’s past six fights have been co-promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, of which Elllerbe is CEO.

But both Schaefer and Elllerbe dismissed the notion that Saturday’s union had anything to do with Alvarez.

“There’s nothing going on. I mean, we’re friends,” said Schaefer. “Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions work very well together, and we’re friends. We go to each other’s shows. So there’s nothing going on. We’re friends, and we always talk, and we always support each other. Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions are always friendly.”

“We work very well together. If you have a working relationship, then you’re always discussing things. But Floyd and Oscar and Leonard and all of us, we believe that there is a time and a place when you announce stuff, and that time and place is when stuff is done, and there’s nothing to be announced. Floyd Mayweather has a stable of fighters, and we all work together. We’re friends.”

JULIAN RAMIREZ, NEPHEW OF GENARO HERNANDEZ, FIGHTS ON SATURDAY

Featherweight Julian Ramirez (4-0, 3 KOs) will pursue his second consecutive knockout victory when he meets Steve Gutierrez (4-1-1, 2 KOs), of Fort Worth, Texas, as part of Saturday night’s Telefutura SoloBoxeo card that is being promoted by Golden Boy.

Trained by his uncle, Victor Hernandez, Ramirez is the 19-year-old great nephew of the late former world titleholder Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez, Victor’s brother, and is managed by Joel De La Hoya, the brother of Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya.

“My uncle was really very humlbe and that’s my favorite thing about him,” said Ramirez of Genaro Hernandez, who was his maternal grandmother’s brother. “He never overlooked anybody or took anyone for granted.”

Ramirez wears a cowboy hat given to him by his maternal great grandfather, Jose Cruz, into the ring.

“He works on a ranch in Mexico, and he wanted me to wear it. The hat’s worth something like $1.80, you know? It’s not expensive,” said Ramirez, who is coming off last month’s first-round knockout victory over Noel Mendoza.

“But my grandpa just wanted me to show that we’re very humble, and that’s where we come from. We’re very humble and we’re nothing fancy. We’re just hard-working men.”

CALIFORNIA COMMISSION APPOINTS ANDY FOSTER

Andy Foster has been hired as the California State Athletic Commission’s new executive officer, the organization announced on Tuesday.